Christie signs bill requiring cultural diversity training for N.J. police

TRENTON — New Jersey's attorney general will be required to develop cultural sensitivity training for all of the state's police officers under a bill signed by Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday.

The new law comes after the governor vetoed a more sweeping proposal that would have required local police departments to develop their own diversity training catered toward their communities.

It requires the state Department of Law and Public Safety to develop cultural diversity training materials and an online tutorial for local police chiefs, who are themselves required to draft a "cultural diversity action plan."

The measure comes amid a climate of national scrutiny of police practices, but one of the bill's main sponsors, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), told NJ Advance Media it was years in the making.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/08/christie_signs_cultural_diversity_training_bill_fo.html